"Making this album was a very intuitive and spontaneous process," says bassist Dave Ellefson of Megadeth's upcoming disc, TH1RT3EN. "We recorded everything after the Big 4 show we did in Indio, California and before the German Big 4 show, so we had about 10 weeks to get in and knock the whole thing out."

Despite the tight window, Ellefson, who was part of Megadeth's classic lineup from 1983 to 2002, and who rejoined leader Dave Mustaine and the fold in early 2010, says that the making of TH1RT3EN was "probably the most fun I've ever had in the studio, and I think the rest of the band would say the same thing."

In moving fast, Ellefson says that the group, which also includes guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover, dispensed with "that whole 'band-in-the-room-for-three-months-writing-and-making-demos' kind of thing. Doing that and then trying to decide on a producer – that can take up to a year. We looked at our schedule, looked at our shortlist of producers – Johnny K was right up there, and he was available – and we went for it."

According to Ellefson, Johnny K, who has worked with Disturbed, Black Tide and Machine Head in recent years, "was the perfect guy for what we needed to do right now. He spent time on important things, but he didn't waste time on stuff that nobody would notice. He let us go in, do our jobs and kick ass."

As both a band member and listener, Ellefson says that TH1RT3EN - the 13th studio album in the band's catalogue (duh!) - pushes all the right buttons. "I sit back and listen to this record, and it rocks my world," he enthuses. "It flows out of the speakers, my toes start tapping, and I want to move. Megadeth's best records have always made you drive fast in your car. Just don't blame us for any speeding tickets!"

Megadeth's TH1RT3EN will be released on 1 November. On the following pages, Dave Ellefson walks us through the record track-by-track.

Sudden Death

"This is a track that was being worked on when I rejoined the band. I came in on a Friday, I played my part on a Saturday, and on Monday we put out the press release that I was back in Megadeth. So this song represents a real homecoming for me.

"Musically, I wanted to combine a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and a thrash style in my bass playing. There's some great rhythmic work going on, particularly in the intro, and the riff, especially towards the end, gives me a chance to move up an octave and create tension underneath the guitars.

"All by itself, it's a very exciting song. But when I think about what it represents, it's deep on an emotional level."

Public Enemy Number 1

"We started writing this song during a soundcheck in Croatia last year, and we finished it in Vienna, Austria a short while later. Funnily enough, earlier this year we wrote another song on the record called Never Dead in the same venue in Austria. So that place has magic in it.

"Again, it's another New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-type song, at least as far as what I do. I loved the early Def Leppard records, and I'm copping a bit of a Rick Savage bass approach on it.

"I really tried to write around the vocals. I love to hear as much of the band, especially the vocals, when I record a bass part. As a player, I want to be the mortar between the blocks that glue the building together. Once the vocal melody developed, Johnny and I worked with Dave, and that allowed me to put down a strong bass part.

"It was a fun way to record. I had a lot of note choices available to me, and there's a cool moving bassline in the B section of the verse as well as the chorus. As a listener, none of that matters, but hopefully, you'll feel the song jump."

Whose Life (Is it Anyway?)

"This is some of my favorite kind of bass playing. In a not very obvious way, it harkens back to a kind of punk-rock style of picking.

"I went at it with a lot of fervor and tried not to overthink what I was doing. My main goal was to lock in with the drums. It's a blazing song. Total attitude, lots of fun."

We The People

"This song is like riff-mania. Dave has a great ability to write a fantastic array of riffs, and he's a master at compiling them to create a song. He writes a riff, then he writes another riff, and when you think he can't come up with another one, he does so – and then he puts them all together.

"Anybody who loves amazing Megadeth riffs will really be into We The People. It's a total explosion of great parts."

Guns, Drugs & Money

"I can't even tell you how happy I am that we have a song that is made up of one riff. [laughs] That's not always easy to do. I know a lot of metal fans don't like Green Day, but I think they're masters of the one-riff song. That's what we did here, and it works beautifully.

"It's so punk rock, the one-riff idea. The Ramones did it on so many of their songs - maybe all of them. When I heard Dave play this part, I knew that was all we needed. The band shifted dynamics in the chorus, Dave played around with the vocal melody…and it was a song!

"Many of our tracks are quite complex; that's probably something a lot of our fans like about what we do. The genius of Guns, Drugs & Money, however, is in its simplicity."

Never Dead

"When Dave first played me this riff, I was floored. It was so violent and in your face, it reminded me of the Peace Sells album. In particular, it sounded a little like Good Mourning/Black Friday, but in a great new way. I loved it.

"What's funny is, Dave forgot about it for a while. We got together earlier this year to work on some stuff, and I reminded him about this one, and he couldn't remember it. Fortunately, he had recorded it on his BlackBerry, so he was able to find it.

"As soon as we all started playing it for real, we were like four little kids jumping around a room. It's such a strong riff. It's so huge, you can't help but get crazy when you hear it."

New World Order

"This one goes way back. We wrote it on the Clash Of The Titans tour in 1991 and made a demo of it for Countdown To Extinction, but it didn't fit on that album for whatever reason. So it sat on the shelf all these years – however, it was included on the remixed and remastered Youthanasia record.

"Shawn Drover really pushed to have New World Order be on this record. Of all the songs that have never been officially released as formal master recordings, he really thought it was ready.

"It's such an old-school thrash tune. We re-recorded it, and I think we improved the outro section for the solos. Dave updated some parts and made them more violent. It's so cool! [laughs] Here we are, 20 years later, finally getting the song right and made into a master recording."

Fast Lane

"Fast Lane was a funny one. As a bass player, it was all about learning some fancy licks, going into the studio and having the producer say, 'Man, can't you just play some eighth notes?' [laughs]

"This song was me hunkering down and knocking it out and making my wrist a fulcrum. I'm just playing eighth notes, sixteenth notes, holding down the fort. I got going and locked in with the drums, and pretty soon, I didn't even know the tune was over – I was in the zone.

"Another cool driving song. You put this one on in your car, and you're flying."

Black Swan

"Black Swan had been recorded and not officially released during my time away from the band. When I heard it, it was one of my favorite tunes, and I could never figure out why it was never put out there. [laughs]

"I love the melody, the lyrics, the whole vibe. It was written before the movie Black Swan, so it has nothing to do with that - although people might naturally assume that's the case.

"I was really happy that Johnny K picked Black Swan out and said we should finish it up. As a listener, it really gets me."

Wrecker

"This has one of the wittiest and funniest set of lyrics. I know Dave's words are sometimes kind of dark, but Wrecker represents more of the humorous side to him.

"The riff is massive. It's one of those parts where the whole band just rallied around and dug in and blew the house down. Some riffs are good, others are great, and then there's riffs that just rock your world. Wrecker is the last example."

Millennium of the Blind

"Funnily enough, another song that was started in 1991. I don't know what it was about 1991. Anyway, a demo was made, but it was never released. We only had a few minutes of it on tape, so it needed some development. Dave and Johnny K really brought it up and made it into a full-length song.

"I'm glad they took the time with it, because it always had the startings of greatness, but it was never nurtured properly. Now it's lived up to its promise.

"A lot of our stuff has to sit for a while. A great idea is a great idea, and if you come back to it, there's gotta be a reason. I'm glad this song's time has finally come."

Deadly Nightshade

"Originally, the riff was written during the sessions for Youthanasia, or maybe Cryptic Writings. It's been around for a while. See what I mean? Some of our stuff has to sit for a while.

"I'm so happy that the riff matured into a complete song – it's so menacing. [laughs] I seem to recall playing the basis for the song in Rome, Italy, during a soundcheck, and I remember seeing the janitor and the popcorn lady turning around and getting into it. That meant something to me.

"When you get right down to it, that's the true test of a great song. Plenty of people will tell you something is cool, but if you can get the janitor and the popcorn lady at a venue rocking out to an unfinished song, come on, then you know it's cool!" [laughs]

13

"It really epitomizes the story of Megadeth. Before starting the record, Johnny K had read Dave's autobiography, and I think that helped him understand Dave's psyche, as well as what Megadeth is all about.

"As the song was being developed musically, the words started to spill out onto the page, largely from Johnny's conversations with Dave. If you ever wanted to hear a song that summed up the arc of Megadeth as a band, 13 is it.

"Chris Broderick did a great job with the acoustic and clean-sounding electric guitars. As a bassist, I love playing to those kinds of tones. They're very open, and they let me be creative with the licks and the lines. It's like bass playing from the 1970s, or even the '60s. James Jamerson, the great Motown bassist – I definitely tried to cop some of his groove, a very flowing style.

"The song ends on such a high. Megadeth hasn't had a big, theatrical kind of song since In My Darkest Hour, so now we've got another one with 13. It's the perfect ending to a great album."

A one-hour ANTHRAX special will be broadcast on Friday, September 30 on American Forces Network's "Radio Recon" at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET. Go to AFN Radio's Facebook page, click on "like" and you'll be able to stream the show.

"Worship Music", the new studio album from ANTHRAX, has registered the following first-week chart positions:

"Worship Music" sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.

The CD cover artwork for "Worship Music" was handled by renowned comic book artist Alex Ross, who has worked with Marvel Comics and DC Comics and is known for his "Marvels", "Kingdom Come", and "Astro City" illustrations. Ross also did the original artwork for ANTHRAX's "We've Come For You All" and "Music Of Mass Destruction" albums.

"Worship Music" was produced by ANTHRAX, Rob Caggiano and Jay Ruston and recorded over a four-year period at studios in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Singer Joey Belladonna's return to the band prompted some of the songs originally recorded with previous singer Dan Nelson to be re-crafted with fresh lyrics or tweaked to better suit his overall vibe and energy. Some of the songs were completely replaced with brand-new songs and, of course, all have Belladonna's inimitable vocal stamp on them.

German melodic metallers EDGUY have been forced to postpone three concerts in their home country this weekend (Essen, Fulda and Bamberg) after the band's lead singer, Tobias Sammet, was diagnosed with a virus infection and an accute laryngitis. The group is working on rescheduling the concerts in late October. Tickets for all three shows will be honored on the new dates.

Commented Sammet: "I am really sorry; it is the second consecutive tour this shit happens to me! I have just returned from the phoniatrics unit of the university hospital Essen, because I so desperately wanted to play those shows this coming weekend, but my throat just says 'no.' It doesn't work. I sincerely apologize to all of you who might be disappointed, be sure I must be the most disappointed one myself. We'll do everything to reschedule those dates after the regular tour is finished. We keep you updated regarding the dates."

EDGUY's new album, "Age Of The Joker", sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at No. 21 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

EDGUY's previous CD, "Tinnitus Sanctus", opened with 600 units back in February 2009 to land at No. 88 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.

"Age Of The Joker" was released in Europe on August 29 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Peppermint Park studio (SCORPIONS, PHIL COLLINS) in Hannover, which was previously described by the group as "a recording temple with a tremendously great-sounding room." The album features 11 songs with a total running time of over one hour. The limited-edition digipack contains a bonus disc with six additional songs.

EDGUY's new video, "Robin Hood", can be seen below. Video director Oliver Sommer (AVANTASIA, NENA, HELLOWEEN) and the band decided to satirize the Errol Flynn film "The Adventures Of Robin Hood". The miniature epic was shot in the forest with a large number of additional actors, starring German TV comedian Bernhard Hoecker in two different leading roles.

LAMB OF GOD, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, CHILDREN OF BODOM, TRIVIUM, HATEBREED and DIMMU BORGIR are among the confirmed bands for next year's edition of Hellfest, set to take place June 15-17, 2012 in Clisson, France.

According to Metal Sludge, Dilana Robichaux, who is best known for her participation on the CBS reality show "Rock Star: Supernova", has joined the Tracii Guns-led version of L.A. GUNS as the band's new lead singer.

Commented Guns: "Dilana is the new singer for L.A. GUNS after an incredible amount of scrutiny and mixed opinions. The final straw was her audition, where she completely took control of the environment by injecting a type of soul into these old new songs that I have never heard before. The first tune we jammed on was the OTIS REDDING classic 'These Arms Of Mine', and even a very skeptical Jeremy [Guns, bass] looked up at me and mouthed 'Holy Shit' to me and I had the same feeling. Then we ran through 'One More Reason', 'Never Enough', and, of course, 'The Ballad Of Jayne', and it was an awakening of just how professional and soulful of a singer Dilana is. After getting responses from the label, my agent and manager — who are all really into a drastic positive change for L.A. GUNS and myself — we all feel this is a ballsy and risky change that we all collectively feel good about. I expect there will be some changes in the live setlist and I hope we can get straight into writing mode [as soon as possible] and record some fresh rock 'n' roll, also [as soon as possible]."

Singer Jizzy Pearl announced his departure from the Tracii Guns-led version of L.A. GUNS earlier this month. He wrote on his official web site, "After an amazing two years in L.A. GUNS, I have decided to move on. This decision was not based on anger or animosity — I have nothing but respect for Tracii and the guys. They can, and will, carry on better than ever. I wish all good luck and good music in the future."

Pearl, who was previously a member of both LOVE/HATE and RATT, joined L.A GUNS for the first time in 1999 and appeared on the band's "Shrinking Violet" album.

Tracii started L.A. GUNS while still in high school in 1982. The original singer, Michael Jagosz, was replaced by Axl Rose. Signed to PolyGram in '87, the band's self-titled debut, with Phil Lewis replacing Rose, sold over a million copies, as did "Cocked and Loaded" (1989) and "Hollywood Vampires" (1991).

Tracii Guns' L.A. GUNS is not to be confused with the Phil Lewis-led version of the group, which is also continuing to record and perform under the L.A. GUNS moniker.

Favored Nations Entertainment has just released "Acoustic Gypsy Live" by L.A. GUNS (Tracii Guns, guitar; Danny Nordahl, bass; Chad Steward, drums; Jizzy Pearl, vocals, Teddy "Zig Zag" Andreadis, keyboards, Muddy Stardust; guitar and back-up vocals; Doni Gray, percussion). Produced, mixed and mastered by Grammy winner Neil Citron, this is the first acoustic album by the acclaimed Los Angeles band in its 29-year history, recorded at The Hotel Café in Hollywood.

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH have announced the following European tour datesL

NIGHTWISH will release its new album, "Imaginaerum", in the U.S. on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records; in Finland on Wednesday, November 30 and the rest of Europe on Friday, December 2 via Nuclear Blast Records.

A track-by-track breakdown of the album by NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen can be found at Metalhammer.co.uk.

Regarding the "Imaginaerum" cover artwork, which can be seen below, Tuomas Holopainen said, "Originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album, but once I and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel's finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what 'Imaginaerum' is all about. The power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal.

"I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, 'all this waiting for you, and you only' feeling.

"All you need is the courage to enter."

NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to the "Imaginaerum" album, but also planning a movie of the same name.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which recently received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

NIGHTWISH's new single, "Storytime", will be released on Friday, November 11 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Regarding the musical direction of the forthcoming album, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon wrote on her official blog, "I think it's a great and varied CD. The feelings in it are great and there are a lot of elements in it, so I am sure it will have many different favorite songs for the listeners since the songs are so different in styles and sound. [2007's] 'Dark Passion Play' is a great album and this one, too, so I don't know yet which one I like more, but, of course, for me personally, this one feels better to do since the songs are more adjusted to my voice and my style."

NIGHTWISH will kick off the "Imaginaerum" world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.

Legendary British power metal mercenaries TANK — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White and ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and drummer Dave "Grav" Cavill (ZODIAC MINDWARP) — have commenced work on the follow-up to last year's "War Machine" album for a spring 2012 release via Metal Mind Productions. According to a press release, the new material is "in a similar vein to 'War Machine', but with a heavier angle." Working songtitles so far include "One Thousand Deaths", "War Without End" and "Heavier Than Thou".

"War Machine" was released on October 25, 2010 in Europe via Metal Mind Productions (December 7, 2010 in the U.S. through MVD). The production was handled by Pedro Ferreira (THE DARKNESS, THERAPY?, MEAT LOAF) and the bulk of the recording was done at Pedrock Studios in London. Drums were laid down by Tony Newton at Steve Harris' (IRON MAIDEN) Barnyard Studios.

"War Machine" was made available in four different versions: as a jewel case CD, a limited-edition digipak CD including two bonus tracks and LP with one bonus track. The Japanese edition of the album includes two exclusive bonus tracks which aren't available elsewhere.

DEVILDRIVER/COAL CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara has recorded guest vocals for a new SOULFLY song, to be featured on the band's new studio album, due in early 2012 via Roadrunner Records.

Fafara posted the following message (along with a picture of him and SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera) via Twitter: "I just co-wrote and sang with Max Cavalera on the heaviest track I've heard from SOULFLY ever. RESPECT."

SOULFLY's follow-up to 2010's "Omen" is currently being recorded at a Phoenix, Arizona studio with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with CHIMAIRA, HATEBREED, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE ACACIA STRAIN, BORN OF OSIRIS and SHADOWS FALL, among others. The band's new drummer, David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR, ARSIS, MALEVOLENT CREATION), described the group's new material on his Facebook page as "crushing, fast thrash, blasting, tribal and fueled by extreme burrito fury. . . The record is sounding fucking SICK. Thrashy as fuck... totally 'Arise' [referring to SEPULTURA's classic 1991 album] on crack and speed."

Kinkade joined SOULFLY a few weeks ago following the departure of the group's longtime skinsman Joe Nunez. Kinkade says, "Max [Cavalera, SOULFLY/ex-SEPULTURA frontman] and I get along great, [and] my [new] bandmates are great."

Max Cavalera's son Zyon sat behind the drum kit for the band's July 31 performance at the Lokerse festival in Lokeren, Belgium. The concert also marked the debut appearance with SOULFLY of the band's new bassist Tony Campos (STATIC-X, PRONG, ASESINO, MINISTRY, POSSESSED), who replaced Bobby Burns this past spring.

Zyon made many special appearances with Max's other band, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, on CC's recent European tour, performing "Attitude/Cockroaches" at Sonisphere, With Full Force, and Hellfest festivals, to name a few. According to Max's wife/manager (and Zyon's mom) Gloria Cavalera, Zyon learned to drum "sitting at the feet of some of the most gifted metal drummers of all time, including his uncle Igor Cavalera, Bill Ward and Roy Mayorga, to name a few." This was a special guest appearance only, since Zyon's full-time band is MOLD BREAKER, which he formed with his younger brother Igor.

Bassist Johny Chow, who has played with SOULFLY's Max Cavalera and Marc Rizzo (guitar) in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and is a member of FIREBALL MINISTRY, loaned his skills to SOULFLY for the band's recent touring activities.

"Omen" sold 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Ohio-based metalcore quintet LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES has inked a European deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's full-length debut, "When We Don't Exist", is scheduled for a November 11 release.

Commented LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES singer/mainman Chris Roetter: "We are very excited to have our debut album, 'When We Don't Exist', released by Nuclear Blast in Europe. Their history of signing incredibly heavy bands combined with some of their more recent signings excites us greatly. We cannot wait to come over to Europe in support of the album, and are thankful to have a label there who will ensure our music is heard!"

Added the label in a statement: "We're proud to work with LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES from now on. Their EP already blew us away, but their debut album simply kicks even more ass. A lot more varied, a lot more matured and a real inferno of modern metalcore. Even if there's a lot of melody to LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES' sound, the band definitely focusses on heavy riffing and brutal breakdowns. Watch out!"

A new LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES song, "You Won't Be Missed" — taken from the forthcoming CD — can be heard in the YouTube clip below.

Polish avantgarde metallers STROMMOUSSHELD have just finished the pre-production process for their long-awaited second full-length album, entitled "No Direction Home".

Commented the group: "We confirm the rumours about coming back to life as a real band. We ended up putting together all the riffs and soundscapes we managed to gather during all those fuckin' years. Now, when we have the vision of this yet unborn bastard we may say the new album is going to be something you would never expect from us!"

STROMMOUSSHELD is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording the new CD. The drum tracks will be laid down at the Huge Studio while the rest of the instruments and vocals will be tracked at SH Studio. The production will be handled by Maels Strommo, band's vocalist and guitarist.

STROMMOUSSHELD's full-length debut was released in 2003 by Avantgarde Music.

Norwegian "blackjazz" outfit SHINING (not to be confused with the Swedish extreme metal band of the same name) will release its first-ever live DVD and CD, "Live Blackjazz", on November 11 via Indie Recordings. The effort was produced by SHINING frontman Jørgen Munkeby and was mixed by Sean Beavan (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS, SLAYER). The mastering duties were handled by Tom Baker (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS)

For the first time ever, the raw energy of SHINING's legendary live performances has been captured on tape in a setting organized solely by the band itself. Produced by Munkeby and backed by the same mixing and mastering team as on their previous "Blackjazz" studio album, we could not get a truer version of what "Blackjazz" is meant to be. Straight from the horse's mouth, this is the new standard that bands will strive to match for the next 10 or 20 years to come.

"This is basically the 'Greatest Hits' album we have always dreamed of, now beautifully combined with breath-taking film footage vibrating with power. It feels good to know that people can now truly experience how much fire and effort we pour into our live shows. It could not have been better!" stated Jørgen Munkeby.

Over the course of its impressive 10-plus-year career, SHINING has created its own unique and bizarre hybrid of jazz and extreme metal, which is easily distinguishable from the musical world of their Swedish counterparts sharing the same band name.